International PaintExpo Breaks Records

More than 8,000 visitors and 400 exhibitors from dozens of countries packed the 4th PaintExpo in Germany this month, setting records for the international trade fair for industrial coating technology.

Exhibitors and attendance grew by more than 25 percent at the PaintExpo show April 17-20 in Karlsruhe, with one in five attendees and one in four exhibitors from one of 63 foreign countries on all continents, organizers said. The biennial show drew about 240 exhibitors and 4,900 attendees when it began in 2006.

‘Searching for Solutions’

“You can tell that the PaintExpo was taken even more seriously by the industry this year and that it has become even more professional,” said Petra Schotte-Pirker, of spray equipment maker WIWA Spritztechnik Wilhelm Wagner GmbH & Co. KG. “Only trade visitors searching for solutions to their problems come to the fair.”

PaintExpo

The fourth biennial PaintExpo show drew record numbers of crowds and attendees from more than 60 countries on every continent.

Companies presented a wide range of products representing the full sweep of industrial processing technologies, from pre-treating through paints, systems engineering, application technology, inspection and packaging.

‘In the Know’

“We had a lot of international visitors to our booth from the automotive, metal processing and plastics coating industries,” said Karin Schumann, of ITW Industrial Finishing Oberflächentechnik GmbH. “It exceeded our expectations. We’ve also made many new important contacts.”

First-time exhibitor Martin Heinrich, CEO of D O K Chemie GmbH, said the fair had allowed him to “meet up with many of our South American customers and make new contacts, hold talks with partner companies and inform ourselves about the latest technologies and trends.”

Rolf Müller, of German UV curing technology supplier IST Metz GmbH, said the show drew a sophisticated coatings crowd.

“Every visitor who came to the PaintExpo knew about UV, and no one asked, ‘What’s your product?’” he said. “You really only meet people who are in the know. Also, visitors bring concrete projects with them.”